Loretta Yang considers glass as being the most appropriate material to formulate her origins in Asian culture or the cyclical conception of time expressed in the never-ending eternity of life, up until the enlightenment, where the «body and the spirit become similar to crystal. Pure, transparent. Perfect». The divinities of the series «Beyond the form», frozen forever in glass, are a perfect illustration of this and are also a representation of the Buddhist philosophy that all things are transient. In the series entitled «The flowers are open, the moon is full», the artist recalls the ephemeral aspect of life : the unique moment, between blossoming and withering, where the flower is at the height of its beauty.

Biography

Loretta Yang was born in 1952 in Taipei, on the island of Taïwan. Fascinated by glass, she established the first Chinese contemporary glass workshop with Chang-Yi in 1987 - Liuligongfong - to enable the Pate-de-verre techniques lost since the period of Ancient China, to be revived. Interested in the history of glass, she visited Conches in 1991, and was invited by Antoine Leperlier, to discover the work of his grand-father François Décorchemont (1880-1971).

For Loretta Yang, as for Antoine Leperlier, the technique of Pate-de-Verre is a means of expressing the question of time and thus also the existential issue of Being and Life. Under the effect of heat, glass is transformed from a liquid to a solid state. Its fluidity is fixed in art objects that for some remind us of a serene vision of time, and on the contrary for others recall the melancholic tradition of its passing. The eternal Buddhists and the excessive refinement of Loretta Yang’s lotus blossoms are the expression of an oriental culture which seeks to show the fullness of life, whereas on the contrary, the still life and vanities by Antoine Leperlier undeniably remind us of the Western, linear conception of life, characterized by the inevitable payment for decadence then the ending of life.

The one and the other thus address the question of temporality by producing pieces that recall the history of their own civilizations and the imaginary and symbolic worlds that build them. Their creations refer to cultural and religious objects that exist in the West for popular religious devotion and which are still enshrined today in Far Eastern religious practice. Now they figure more as art objects than sculpture and in this way avoid the globalised aesthetic domination of Conceptual and Minimal Art.

Since 1998, multiple casting has been the primary technique used in Loretta Hui-shan Yang’s work.

Through various treatments and temperatures, it emerges an alternate realm of translucency and precision. Yang breathes life into Buddhist figures that appear to exist in an ethereal yet concrete state, an expression of her inner countenance. It has also opened a new door to the understanding and interpretation of Buddhist scripture.

Yang said on Formless, but Not Without Form: There are many concepts within Buddhist scripture that cannot be fully expressed through traditional Buddhist art.

Take this passage from the Diamond Sutra, “all of the existent, conditioned dharma is like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows.” Penetrating the life with clear mind and the great wisdom to be in void to all with benevolence is one constant theme in Buddhist thought that has always moved me.

The series was first shown in 1998 at The Victoria and Albert Museum.

Throughout the years and from both physical and technical standpoints, the series has consistently brought forth new ideas and is recognized as Yang’s significant style.

Since in 1987, Flower is constant theme in Loretta Hui-shan Yang’s work. Because of flower’s beauty and blossom, the cycle of flower life is the most unique and extraordinary force in this living world, especially its gesture and color are showing so brilliant. It spells the co-dependence between nature and flower. Loretta Hui-shan Yang employs pâte-de-verre to expresses the most beautiful elements of the flower. It reveals the composure and harmony in everyday life, From the beginning of The Flowers are Beautiful and the Moon is Full series in 1998, to the 2004 Capazza Galerie exhibition in France, to the acquisition of Proof of Awareness by the renowned Corning Museum of Glass in 2007 and its prominent placement in the aforementioned museum, The Flowers are Beautiful and the Moon is Full is a sery consistently in the international spotlight.